iPad in education?

macbookpro00 said:

Hey,
I would like to know if the iPad really IS helpful in education or is the information about it being educational is over exaggeration.
I want to get the new iPad this summer and I would like to know if it will help me with my education or do you recommend me another tablet.
ps: I don't need a laptop as I already have a macbook pro
thanks!!

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It would help to know what level you're talking about - high school? College?

When I think of it being "educational" I think of the many apps that are designed for K-12 classrooms, and in that case it's more the school doing the purchasing. If you're thinking of one for college, it's mostly the ability to carry your readings in a convenient way, take notes in class (especially if you like taking handwritten notes or need to draw a lot of diagrams and equations in your notes), etc.

macbookpro00 said:

oh sorry forgot to mention
I am in high school doing GCSEs to be more exact

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Cool,but will it really limit my needs of a laptop and will it help if I use it instead of many school textbooks?

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Well, it depends on if your school uses books that are available for the iPad. You should probably contact your district's technology office and see what their recommendations are for iPads, or talk to other students in your school who have them.

With a Bluetooth keyboard and Pages, you can easily write high school-level papers on an iPad, I'm assuming that's the main thing you use a laptop for.

macbookpro00 said:

So what you think can the iPad be a good companion?

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Or a great distraction. For example, right now I'm replying during a meeting

College yes. School no.

macbookpro00 said:

Also I want something to keep me entertained when I take the bus/metro and when I travel

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The iPad is not ideal for entertainment during subway/bus rides imo. I don't feel comfortable holding a large 800$ screen while standing elbow to elbow next to beggars and weirdos.

I use my phone or kindle for those rides.

I don't think it's that useful if you're in high school. I'm in med school and I do find it useful... it's also very entertaining when I am bored in class

macbookpro00 said:

Hey,
I would like to know if the iPad really IS helpful in education or is the information about it being educational is over exaggeration.
I want to get the new iPad this summer and I would like to know if it will help me with my education or do you recommend me another tablet.
ps: I don't need a laptop as I already have a macbook pro
thanks!!

Click to expand...

It depends on you, your course of study, the educational environment, etc. Could you tell us more?

In my case, at university:
(1) I use it a lot as a PDF reader for articles I download (JSTOR and ProjectMuse) and books/articles I scan myself, so with Dropbox, I carry around more materials in the palm of my hand than you might find in your local library (many thousand). The fact that you can search through hundreds of them at a time (assuming you have downloaded them, made them searchable with optical character recognition if necessary, and purchased the right app) makes it a powerful tool.
(2) I use it to create content. Using the external keyboard, I take notes, write papers, etc. With the stylus, I take handwritten notes in classes, talks, and meetings.
(3) I use it to find things. In combination with Evernote (an app), I have every note I have ever taken on every book and every class, plus I have many of my most often-used PDFs available through Evernote as well (it searches PDFs too).

With the exception of handwitten notes, you could do all of this with your MBP, but the difference is battery life, portability (it is always with me), portrait mode (good for reading), and light weight. Some people find it just sits and gathers dust. Others, like me, end up using it about 90% of the time. My "backpack" is a tiny man bag with the Apple external keyboard and a stylus. It beats lugging around books

It's a fun social experiment to watch people try to logically justify their desired purchases.

I do it all the time. Most of us do.

I currently own an iPad 3 and it has helped me out so much with my schoolwork and homework. I am in high school and I used to have to carry around an immensely heavy backpack. With the iPad I was able to throw out my binder (which I later replaced with a much lighter accordion folder to hold random assignments) and 4 of my notebooks except for my Geometry notebook because my teacher is a techno nazi. I use Pages for everything from notes (mostly notes) to school assignments and homework. I had to ask my teachers but they were okay with me emailing all of the stuff that I work on. Paper is another good app to use, especially if you are taking a science class and you have to draw something from time to time. I would not bother with a keyboard because it is just another thing to carry around. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but I am able to type as fast on the iPad keyboard as I can on a physical keyboard. Just get a smart cover because it is definitely an essential accessory for typing on a desk.

The iPad is well worth it, especially when you are manage to integrate it into your normal workflows with your laptop.

You might want to check out academiPad (http://www.joachim-scholz.com/academipad/). Its a niche blog dedicated for discussing the iPad (and Mac) in Higher Education.

We integrated iPads into our high school last year and they work very well. You just have to be responsible and make sure it doesn't distract you.

I think it can definitely be a good tool, depending on your course of study and how you use it.

I am currently in a business program and plan to use mine for presentation and group projects (still looking at buying one though). Following my time in the business program I will probably be getting into law or something medical, and I think it'll be very useful in either of those pursuits (or if I even decide to forego further schooling and get a job with my business degree).

My father is a graduate education professor and the education college at the university he is at purchased 20+ iPads for his student's use, because they're so helpful and being used so much in education.